The Year of the Revolution II. The Discovery of Friendship

2. The rings

Sev, who had closed his eyes after the last kiss so as not to see Lily leave, when he heard the door close he fell back on the sofa, burying his face in the exact place where Lily's head had rested. 'I'm not going down to dinner tonight. I prefer to stay with the intense memory of the past hours, than to see her again without being able to reach her.

'I feel so at peace, so free of burdens, never in my life had I confessed to anyone like this. And besides, I have seen my fantasy of covering her with kisses come true just before my feeling of reverence towards her is lost, because now I no longer only adore her without hope, I begin to know her as mine, and desire is gaining ground over spiritual longing.'

Lily knew exactly why Sev didn't come down to dinner that night, and she was a little envious that he had stayed behind enjoying the intimacy of their love nest, but she was happy for him and because she understood that so, in a way, they were still together.

Sev woke up in the same position in the middle of the night and the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was the fiery reflection of a Lily's hair on the Slytherin green of the cushion, which he picked up with his fingers.

'I have fallen asleep with the candles lit, they have all been consumed except for a tiny end on the table. Now I'll have to steal them again... Ugh... I have to learn how to Summon.' He lengthened the one that was left and in its light looked at her long red hair. 'A part of her... I want to keep it, but how?'

He rolled it around his fingertip. 'I'll keep it somewhere.' And before he took it off, he realized it. 'A ring... from her hair... That way I'll always wear her close to my skin and I'll be able to see it at any time.' He inserted it into the middle finger of his left hand. His pale skin contrasted sharply with the red. 'Someone can tell if they look at my hand, but... who's going to?'

He magically sealed it to fix it. 'Now I will carry her doubly with me in my heart.' He looked at his hand smiling and this time he undressed, lay down on the couch under the blankets and went back to sleep.

Upon waking up he decided, 'I will come to the Haven as little as possible, now that it seems safe to me, not putting it at risk with my comings and goings, reserving it for dates with Lily. Today I will bring more candles so that she has light when she'll come with the cushions and I will not return until Thursday, to repair the couch for the next day.'

Lily came to the Haven on Monday with not two, but three new cushions, two for the couch and one as a cushion. It was the first time that she was alone there. Luckily, Sev had already replaced three of the five burned-out candles, she lit two of them, everything was as it was the previous Friday. She hadn't planned on staying, but since he had recommended that she spend some time alone, now was as good a time as any.

So she lit the other two candles and decided to repair the couch herself, also hoping that Sev would show up and surprise him. When she finished, she stayed another hour, doing her homework at the desk, slowly losing hope of seeing him. In the end she left somewhat disappointed.

On Wednesday in Potions class, Lily put her hand to her heart when he looked at her, but he couldn't return it either, his hands were busy with the ingredients, so he just fixed his black eyes on her as he knew and it was enough for her.

Since he had given up going to the Haven, Sev started going back to the Library to study. 'That way I avoid the noise of the dungeon Common Room, but above all I go to see her, even from afar, in a more intimate setting than the Great Hall.'